MULTISENSORY STRUCTURED LANGUAGE (MSL) APPROACH

Learning differences are physical and neurological differences that cause great challenges for the learning different child. We know that students with learning differences process visual and auditory information related to symbols like letters/sounds and at times numbers inaccurately a significant percentage of the time.

In the 1920's clinical studies and research was being conducted to find ways to help the learning different student process symbols more accurately. Samuel T. Orton and Anna Gillingham developed a method for helping the learning different child read, write and spell more effectively. The Orton-Gillingham approach is the prototype multisensory structured language method for teaching written language to the learning different student. Ten multisensory structured language methods have been developed from the Orton-Gillingham model. The Orton-Gillingham method I use is called Alphabetic Phonics. (AP)

Alphabetic Phonics is taught in 1:1 or small groups depending on the severity of the processing disorder. The program was written specifically for students with visual and auditory processing differences with average to above average intelligence. These students receive individual, intensive multisensory instruction in a written language approach that provides strategies to minimize their visual processing errors (d/b, m/n) and phonological awareness deficits (inability to break apart and/or blend together the sounds in words. The information is an organized sequential structure from simpler to more complex words. Handwriting and spelling skills are taught in coordination with the material the student is learning to read. Words decoded are also used to build comprehension skills. 

Alphabetic Phonics uses the three learning channels, seeing, hearing, and feeling to teach reading and spelling. For instance, as a letter is introduced there are four basic properties that are learned- the name, sound~ and feel of that letter. This type of approach using these three learning channels allows students stronger channels to support and strengthen their weaker ones.

Each new concept is taught through discovery thus involving the student in the learning process. The first thing introduced is the alphabet, which provides the foundation for the study of phonics. Then each letter is introduced individually through discovery. Once the student learns the sound that two letters make, then we are able to blend the sounds (reading), unblended the sounds (spelling), and place the sounds on paper (writing). 
Each lesson planned is geared to the student's individual needs, and is divided into different activities to accommodate the attention span of the students. The pace of the group's progress depends on each individual student.
 
The curriculum covers eighty-five percent of the English Language and follows phonetic rules. The other fifteen percent doesn't follow phonetic rules and must be learned through carefully prepared procedures using the three learning modalities, seeing, hearing, and feeling.
 
A student who completes the course is usually able to score at grade level or above on standardized tests.
 
Measures have been developed which are administered at intervals throughout training to determine the amount of growth in learning since the last measurement. These measures are called Bench Mark measures. We strive for comprehension of ninety five percent or better before new material is presented.

The training is not a quick fix; it takes time and commitment from teacher, parent, and student. However, giving children the tools that will enable them to read almost anything is well worth the time and commitment involved. 
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THE DAILY LESSON INCLUDES THESE ACTIVITIES:

ALPHABET Students are taught recognition and sequence of the letters 
of the alphabet. These skills are then extended to teach 
students to alphabetize and utilize the dictionary.

READING DECKS A reinforcement activity which builds identification of the 
English language and their corresponding speech sounds.


SPELLING DECKS A reinforcement activity, which teaches students to 
translate each speech sound into the letter which most 
often represents that speech sound in initial, medial, and 
final positions.


NEW LEARNING A multisensory discovery of each symbol-sound 
Relationship for reading and spelling is presented.
Additional concepts and rules which apply to decoding and 
And spelling are introduced.


READING A structured practice activity to reinforce the decoding 
skills introduced so far. Practice includes word attack
drills for both one syllable and multi-syllable words,
phrases and sentences.


HANDWRITING A structured practice activity to reinforce cursive writing
skills is presented.


SPELLING Daily practice in phonetic spelling for the sound/symbol
relationships that have been introduced so far. Spelling
rules and generalizations are reinforced and extended 
through structured multisensory procedures.


ORAL EXPRESSION Brief activities are presented which offer a framework for
developing oral language skills.


REVIEW A brief review of the new information presented in the 
day's lesson is provided.


LISTENING Auditory skills are practiced and extended through a variety
of listening skill activities. Exposure to high-interest 
literature is a main focus of this activity.